The present invention relates to materials resistant to wear as well as to a process for their manufacture.
A number of technological areas have been searched in order to resolve the problems posed by wear, erosion, cavitation and abrasion in corrosive media. These problems are especially important for blades of hydraulic turbines.
Persons in the art have generally sought a material combining the following properties:
Increased hardness which permits the material to resist the phenomena of erosion and friction; PA1 Good ductility so as to permit it to resist shocks; PA1 A structure which assures good behavior against corrosion.
Currently, the materials employed, including steels having high mechanical characteristics and ceramics, do not possess all of the above properties which appear to some extent to be mutually exclusive.
Thus, a material having the requisite durability is not generally very ductile. If the material is highly resistant to corrosion, it often does not have adequate mechanical properties. The principal problem in the materials which are available today lies in their fragility.